(Image source from: "India Is Far Beyond Those TV And Newspaper Headlines”)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed that the strength of India lies in its diversity and said that India has shown the way to the world as to how people from different religions and who speak more than 100 languages can live together in harmony.
Modi who addressed thousands of Indians at Wembley Stadium for nearly an hour and 19 minutes said, “India is full of diversity. This diversity is our pride and it is our strength. Diversity is the speciality of India.”
As usual, the audience punctuated PM’s speech by applause, cheers and even whistling.
The PM added, “World leaders tell me that they run smaller countries and have so many problems, but they ask, ‘tell us Modiji, how do 125 crore people in your country live so peacefully and in harmony?’”
Modi indirectly referred to media reports in the UK that wrote about the intolerance in India as well as his human rights record in Gujarat, saying that, “Don’t believe the India that you see on TV screens and newspaper headlines. India is far beyond those TV and newspaper headlines, India is much taller and bigger.”
PM said that he met few Sikh representatives in London and shared thoughts on many subjects. He said, “I understand their pain on some issues as well...I am working on them, you will see the results soon.” The leader praised the Sikh community for their contribution for sacrificing lives to defend India besides toiling hard to provide grain to the hungry.
He said that the main challenges being faced by the World is identifying terrorism and global warming, Modi said that it was “the responsibility of all nations... and all citizens who value humanity” to join the fight.
Modi called the Sufi tradition of Islam as “the best antidote to terrorism”. “If Sufism had been propagated more in Islam, people would not have picked up guns,” the PM claimed, who added that solutions to the problems of terrorism and global warming can be found by following Mahatma Gandhi's path.
-Sumana
